Chapter 14: A Group of Big Liars
The prisoners walked through the corridors like ants, with a distance of two meters between them, and climbed up the stairs that kept "folding" in half. Under the watchful eyes of semi-automatic weapons and guards, they arrived at the square at the top of the prison one after another.
Yang Ming kept observing everywhere, and the three-dimensional structure of the entire prison had been imprinted in his mind like a sand table.
The view from the top deck is really nice.
This should be the upper side of Cole Harbor. Outside the prison is the deep starry sky, and a semi-solidified transparent cover perfectly covers the top square.
"What if the cover breaks? Wouldn't the person be sucked away by the vacuum?"
Yang Ming thought with some worry.
The M-type dwarf star hangs in the deep starry sky, and its orange-red light is slightly dull. This is also a characteristic of this type of star - it hesitates and does not want to burn itself violently, using only a little hydrogen to barely maintain its dignity as a star.
Several mechanical guards stood at the four corners, which was something Yang Ming rarely saw.
The Milky Way has three major taboos:
The first disaster is the invasion of civilization by extraterrestrials;
The Second Scourge, the Zerg that periodically return to the Milky Way to reproduce;
The third disaster, the Omnic Crisis.
Intelligent machinery refers to smart machines with fully automated weapon systems. The mechanical bodies develop human-like consciousness and are independent of human society, completing an automated closed loop in the production, maintenance, design, and development of the intelligent machinery itself.
Not just any one or two robots that develop self-awareness can be called an Omnic Crisis.
In the current development of civilization in the Milky Way, large and small artificial intelligence crises have occurred more than ten times. The rise and fall of several major empires in the history of the Milky Way are closely linked to the outbreak of artificial intelligence crises.
——What Yang Ming knows is only the background of the game "Abyss", which may be slightly different from the actual information of this world.
He carefully observed these mechanical guards for a while and found that they were just "answering machines" that followed instructions. He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
In the corner, several strong men stared at Yang Ming viciously.
Yang Ming glanced over and saw that the sturdy men all put their legs together, averted their eyes, and whistled a few times.
That's it?
Prison gangs are just that?
Yang Ming originally thought that there would be a big battle between himself and dozens of strong men today, but he didn't expect that he would defeat them in one wave.
'Have I become more violent lately?'
However, it feels really good to have my physical strength continue to grow.
There was a parasol in the corner, and several strong men in prison uniforms were lined up, blocking Yang Ming's view; behind these strong men there was a recliner and smoke rising up.
That is?
The special existence in this prison?
Yang Ming put his hands behind his back and walked calmly towards the corner like an officer inspecting work.
The guards were laughing and chatting not far away. They just glanced at Yang Ming and immediately looked away.
Apparently, the guards would not prevent others from approaching this 'special being'.
As Yang Ming, wearing the Sherman Empire military uniform, approached, the sturdy men acting as bodyguards became visibly nervous. They had heard about Yang Ming's record of fighting six people alone and emerging unscathed.
A big hand blocked Yang Ming's chest.
The sturdy man who stopped Yang Ming had a look of vigilance in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Sorry, Mr. Bailin doesn't want to be disturbed."
Bailin?
Yang Ming, who had just arrived, didn't know what this name meant.
He wasn't interested in knowing.
"Really?" Yang Ming smiled, "Then why don't you ask Bailin?"
An old man's laughter came from behind the sturdy man: "Let the imperial officer come over. He is such an interesting young man."
This old Bailin has a Mediterranean hairstyle and many wrinkles on his face. Considering that the average lifespan of humans in the Milky Way is more than 120 galactic years, it is impossible to determine how old Bailin is.
When Yang Ming approached, Mr. Bailin was smoking an e-cigarette of unknown ingredients and drinking sparkling soda. He was wearing a loose bathrobe, revealing his abundant light-colored chest hair.
"Hello, Imperial officer."
Old Bailin greeted with a smile:
"Forgive my impoliteness. I am old and always too lazy to move."
Yang Ming smiled slightly and said, "If you are a respected elder, you don't have to be too polite to a young man like me."
"Oh, is it so?"
Bailin's smile became more obvious. He gestured to the side, and a strong man brought a "plastic" chair and placed it next to Bailin's recliner.
"Please take a seat, young man," Bailin said with a smile, "I originally wanted to just deal with you, but you are a trouble. I don't need to look at your file, just by looking at you, I know that you must be a big trouble."
Yang Ming secretly reminded himself to maintain the demeanor of an imperial soldier and sat upright in the plastic chair.
He smiled and said, "I may be a trouble to my enemies, but to my friends, I must be an honest and reliable partner."
“Hahahaha,” Bailin’s wrinkled face suddenly turned into a chrysanthemum with a smile, “They said you were a cold-blooded killing machine, a ruthless killer trained by the Empire. I didn’t expect you to be so humorous, hahahaha.”
Yang Ming shrugged, having already made a judgment in his mind.
This old Bailin should be the "dragon head" of this prison, the kind who can handle both black and white.
What can he give himself?
Yes, intelligence.
What Yang Ming needs most now is information.
Yang Ming brought the topic back to the right track: "I heard from my roommate that Mr. Bailin is omnipotent in this prison?"
"That's definitely an exaggeration," Bailin said with a smile. "Of course, if you can afford the price, I can find a way to get you some weird stuff. I have the connections, and the guards will give me some respect."
Yang Ming asked: "Are all commodities measured in currency?"
“No, no, no,” Bailin said with a smile, “For these mediocre guys, the currency they had before they came in is all their current value, and everything is clearly marked. But you are different... The salary of an imperial officer is not much.”
Yang Ming gave a smile that represented poverty.
In fact, Hanton still has quite a bit of savings. ——It’s not cheap to marry a noblewoman.
Bailin said, "You defeated six of them by yourself, didn't you? And you were ?"
"I have learned a lot of killing skills," Yang Ming said, "If you want me to help you do this kind of thing, forget it. Teaching others a lesson does not bring me pleasure."
"Oh, young man, don't be anxious. Doing business here is all about compromise."
Bailin squinted his eyes and smiled: "Tell me what you want first, and then I'll give you my price."
"The more detailed the map of Cole Harbor, the better," Yang Ming whispered.
Bailin's expression suddenly changed. He frowned and looked at Yang Ming, and whispered, "This is a bit taboo, young man."
"But you can do it, right?" Yang Ming's eyes became a little sharp.
"Today, three groups of intelligence specialists from different forces have come to see you. I know this," Bailin stared at Yang Ming, "You just need to wait for your empire to take you back. There is no need to make any extra trouble."
"Then Mr. Bailin, do you know which batch was sent by my motherland?"
"Please forgive me for not being able to help you," Bailin smiled bitterly, "I'm just a businessman. I don't want to cause trouble. This is far beyond my ability."
"So I can't trust them," Yang Ming said, "I must return to the empire in my own way. I can pay any price except betraying the empire and sacrificing myself."
"You are actually aware of this problem. Yes, that is indeed the case. Among the three of them, at least two of them have bad intentions towards you."
Bailin took a puff of his e-cigarette and sat there in a daze for a while, as if his whole body had crashed.
Bailin said: "Although I can't give you a map, I know someone who can definitely help you. But I can't share intelligence with you for free. You have to help me do something. This is the rule I set."
"Time, place, destination."
Yang Ming stood up calmly: "You should be able to tell me this through my roommate."
"Hey, Hanton," Bailin smiled with narrowed eyes, "Do you trust me so much?"
"You will keep your promise," Yang Ming said confidently, and blinked his right eye at Bailin before leaving.
Old Bailin did not read any sexual connotation in this wink.
He read the young man's confidence and his thinly veiled threat.
'Young people nowadays are so rude.'
Old Bailin shook his head with emotion and continued to puff smoke at the starry sky.
An hour and a half later, the prisoners including Yang Ming finished their exercise. Old Bailin could still continue to enjoy his leisurely afternoon here until two meticulous guards appeared on his side.
"The warden wants to see you, Mr. Bailin."
…
Of course Yang Ming didn't know who the person Bailin was talking about was, but he was willing to give it a try within limits.
Yang Ming waited in his cell for two days. The fat roommate suddenly came over and nervously whispered in Yang Ming's ear a time, a cell number on the same floor, and an arm for half the night.
Yang Ming nodded to indicate that he understood.
When this time came, a yawning guard passed by, casually took out a card and swiped it across the electronic lock of Yang Ming's cell, and the electronic lock opened with a click.
After the guard left, Yang Ming turned over and slipped out, entering a cell not far away that also had its door open.
A few muffled groans were heard, and Yang Ming walked out within half a minute after entering. He walked along the wall with his head lowered, quickly returned to his cell, and found a place to lie down.
Click, the electronic lock closes automatically.
Half an hour later, continuous screams were heard from the cell. A large number of guards hurried over, and the fifth floor became lively again.
The arm with its bones crushed became the common topic of conversation throughout Cole Harbour Prison the next day.
The next day, Yang Ming found a note in his breakfast.
[Sixth floor, 625, Kolev.]
